Would he continue these ugly acts until he subjugates me under him again?

I knew what kind of person he was from the start, but Ernant felt even more terrible now.

Feeling like I didn’t want to exchange words with him anymore, I hurriedly bid him farewell.

“Anyway, I have no intention of talking to you further. I’ll be leaving now.”

“How do you plan to leave?”

Ernant asked as he snapped his fingers.

As if that was a signal, several men who appeared to be imperial guards immediately entered the tavern.

They must have been waiting outside.

Having anticipated this, I drew my sword without hesitation.

Then I gave Ernant one final warning.

“Call them off. I don’t want to take unnecessary lives.”

“Take lives… Do you really think you alone can kill all the men I’ve brought?”

“It’s not impossible.”

“But that’s only when you can use your abilities, right?”

What does he mean? As I glared at him in confusion, he smiled.

“You won’t be able to use your power now. I rented out this entire tavern. And I installed an item. If anyone tries to use abilities here, they’ll feel intense pain in their heart.”

“…”

“I don’t need to explain further, do I? You’ve already experienced it once in the palace basement.”

As he said, I had felt intense pain in my chest when I tried to use my abilities in the underground laboratory of the palace.

It seemed this tavern had been set up in the same state as that basement lab.

Or was it all a lie?

I wanted to try using my abilities to check, but if I really did feel pain, it would be troublesome.

That pain wasn’t something I could endure while conscious, so I’d likely faint again.

I gave up on trying to draw out my abilities and said to Ernant:

“It doesn’t matter if I can’t use my powers. Even without them, I can easily deal with the soldiers you command.”

The soldiers glaring at me twisted their expressions even more viciously upon hearing my words.

Unlike them, Ernant burst into laughter as if amused.

“That’s quite the confidence. I’m sure their pride is quite hurt. Well then, I should give them a chance to save face.”

After saying that, he ordered the guards in a cold voice different from before.

“Capture her and make her kneel before me.”

As soon as the order was given, the guards drew their swords and rushed at me.

As Ernant said, there were quite a lot of them to face alone.

There were already about fifteen just inside the tavern.

There were probably more outside.

Fighting against people, not monsters… especially against multiple opponents, was unfamiliar to me, but I roughly knew what tactics to use.

First, I quickly moved to the side to enter the narrow corridor of the tavern.

This was to prevent the worst-case scenario of being surrounded by multiple opponents.

In a wide space, they could easily surround me, but in a narrow corridor, that becomes impossible.

With that judgment, I entered the corridor, and as expected, the soldiers followed me.

I dealt with the soldiers following me one by one there.

“Argh!”

“Don’t retreat!”

“Push harder!”

The tavern became noisy with the shouts of the heated soldiers.

Amidst that fervor, I simply swung my sword calmly.

I neither hurried nor got excited.

Hasty emotions lead to misjudgments, and misjudgments quickly produce death as a result.

So I just dealt with the soldiers one by one, and finally, the end came into sight.

Thunk―

Pulling my sword out of the heart of the last soldier, I glared coldly at Ernant.

Then, after roughly wiping my blood-stained cheek with the back of my hand, I approached him.

Although it must have been his first time seeing a person so covered in blood, he wasn’t surprised.

Far from being surprised or afraid, he praised me in a voice that even seemed excited.

“Amazing. It might not be appropriate to say this in this situation, but I want to embrace you right now. Rolling around while smelling the scent of blood would be quite thrilling.”

“…”

To think he’d spout such words at the sight of a blood-soaked appearance.

Meeting his green eyes gleaming with desire with a look of contempt, I replied to him.

“Is this all the tricks you prepared? Then I’ll be leaving. Don’t pursue me again. I might not be able to hold back next time.”

“I’m sorry, but what I prepared didn’t end with just those guys. To welcome someone as precious as you, how could I have prepared so carelessly?”

Uttering such ominous words, Ernant snapped his fingers again.

Then the tavern door opened, and only two knights entered.

No one else came in.

Literally just two people.

However, I couldn’t move easily.

It was because I sensed a strange aura from them that I had never felt before in my life.

Clutching tightly the gold coins he received at the tavern, Henrik fled in a hurry.

Dodging the bustling crowds here and there, he ran frantically like that.

The only thought in his mind was that he needed to get away from that tavern.

Only after running so hurriedly to the square could he finally sit down and catch his breath.

“Huff, huff…”

In truth, when he first received the errand, he didn’t think much of it.

A man who looked like a nobleman came and handed him gold coins, saying ‘Bring the silver-haired woman’, so he simply accepted.

He only thought he was lucky when told he’d get another gold coin just for luring and bringing her.

So without thinking deeply, he deceived the woman with a lie that a black-haired man was calling for her, as the nobleman had instructed…

“A sword… It was a real sword…”

Henrik muttered unconsciously as he wrapped his trembling body with both arms.

What was waiting at the tavern where he thoughtlessly brought the woman were men holding real swords.

When the man who first gave Henrik the errand snapped his fingers, men with swords rushed in from outside, and Henrik immediately fled.

He ran away like that, even though it was obvious what would happen to that woman left alone.

“…”

As he regained some composure, worry belatedly washed over him.

Would that woman be alright?

She was carrying a sword, but still, she was a woman with a small build, and she was alone. Could she win against so many opponents?

Worry filled Henrik’s mind completely.

The emotion of guilt was also pricking at his insides.

“What does it matter…”

After being lost in worry for a long while, Henrik shook off thoughts of Yulia, saying that.

He had already received the money anyway.

He earned two gold coins in just one day, something he thought he’d never touch in his lifetime.

A woman was sacrificed in the process, but she was just a stranger he’d never met before.

What did it matter if some woman he’d never met before was sacrificed or not?

Living a hard life pickpocketing with other orphans on the streets, he had no time to worry about others.

Henrik, who had been sitting by the fountain in the square, stood up and was about to return to the alley where the other orphans were.

That’s when he heard a name that made him stop in his tracks.

“Yulia! Where are you? Answer me!”

Yulia. The nobleman who gave him that errand earlier had definitely called that woman by that name too.

Yulia.

Was that woman’s name Yulia?

Henrik observed the man who had just called out Yulia’s name loudly.

He was a tall man with black hair.

Wearing black clothes.

The question Yulia had asked earlier suddenly came to mind.

−”Was it a man wearing black clothes?”

Yulia had also followed Henrik willingly when told a man in black clothes was looking for her.

Are they companions? Did they plan to meet but the woman didn’t return, so he’s looking for her like this?

While Henrik was observing Martin with such thoughts, Martin called out again.

“Yulia!”

He thought it was an extremely anxious call.

Even so, feeling that he shouldn’t get more deeply involved in this matter, Henrik tried to leave.

“Yulia!”

That anxious call heard again made Henrik’s steps heavy once more.

Henrik stood in place, pondering for a long time.

Should he run away from danger as he always had, or make a different choice just for today?

At that moment, Yulia’s face suddenly appeared in his mind.

The face of Yulia who had treated even a dirty orphan boy she’d never met before kindly.

“Excuse me.”

In the end, unable to leave, Henrik called out to Martin.

Then he revealed to Martin who was looking at him:

“I know where that person called Yulia is. She should be with some blonde-haired man.”